This invention relates to an apparatus and method for reclamation of soil and other products including heat responsive contaminant substances and particularly to such an apparatus for processing of soil contaminated with general petroleum-based contaminant substances and the like.
Recent developments in relationship to waste disposal of products associated with various petroleum-based activities have resulted in extensive discovery and location of serious levels of contamination. Various reclamation requirements have been issued by governmental agencies with respect to removing of contaminates from the soil. In many instances, complete removal of the contaminated soil has been required, with replacement of an appropriate non-contaminated soil. The necessity of eliminating soil contaminants has resulted in treating the removed soil to reclaim the soil free of contamination by various processes. A recent suggestion includes subjecting of the soil to heat to in essence remove contaminants by converting them to a gaseous state, removing the gases with the contaminant substances and destroying them by separate processing. The process has been particularly applied to petroleum-based contaminated sites.
Various large treatment facilities have been constructed. There is however a very great demand and need for a more efficient system of soil reclamation and particularly for an apparatus which provides convenient portability such that the apparatus can be readily moved between sites such that the apparatus is adapted not only for relatively substantial reclamation projects but more significantly for relatively small reclamation projects.
Typical of relatively small installations requiring soil reclamation are retail gasoline stations the like. The typical station has used buried storage tanks for storing of different gasolines and other petroleum-based products. With the recent development of both lead and unleaded gasoline as well as increased variation in the octane ratings, use of additives such as ethanol, the number of storage tanks required has increased. The problem has also been increased by the increasing size of the gasoline and automobile service stations over the years. In many installations, some ground leakage has been almost inevitable, with a resulting contamination of the soil. In many instances, prior to the more recent realization of soil contamination, oil and similar petroleum products have been routinely disposed of directly on the grounds of the gasoline station. In other instances, such products have been transported and disposed at a common ground waste site, which may or may not cover significant areas with resulting contaminants. Treatment of such sites have almost uniformly required the removal of the tanks and removal of the contaminated soil for replacement with fresh soil, or treatment and replacement with the reclaimed soil.
Generally, reclamation apparatus has been developed for large, fixed reclamation installation. In fixed systems, the soil is removed and transported to the reclamation apparatus.
Recent suggestions have provided relatively large apparatus in which the various individual components may have a degree of portability. The components can be moved and installed at an area for a more convenient transport of soil from various locations to the reclamation apparatus. Although the apparatus has a certain degree of portability, because of the complexity and size thereof, the apparatus may not be practically transported from one relatively small contaminated site to another. In addition, the complexity and size of the apparatus results in a significant equipment cost factor as well as high relocation cost. More recently, U. S. Pat. No. 4,951,417, which issued Nov. 2, 1982, discloses a system which has been commercially offered in which at least one unit is shown mounted on a large oversized trailer unit, which is subject to special governmental approval and can be transported over-the-road. However, the apparatus as advertised provides an optional afterburner equipment which requires a large separate transport trailer to complete the system, as well as the specially licensed, oversized, over-the-road trailer.
Further, the apparatus for relatively fixed installation is relatively expensive to operate and requires significant supply of fuel to operate the burners and the like. Such apparatus has found use however because of the severity of the problem and the governmental requirements relating to the treatment of contaminated soil.
There is a demand for improved apparatus for processing products including contaminant substances and particularly to a portable unit which can be transported over-the-road without a special license and the like. The apparatus must operate efficiently and effectively to remove the contaminant substances at an acceptable cost.